When I was a teenager and worked construction, I used to take speed. For three straight weeks, on the job of a major building project, I took speed and was the best worker the foreman had ever seen.

Then I ran out. The next day was like trying to work on a planet with twice the gravitational pull of earth. I remember looking up at the clock, praying it was near the end of the day: It was barely 10 a.m.

I’m a recent convert to the 5-Hour Energy drink. I tested it on a recent golf trip and – against my will – enjoyed it. It doesn’t give you that wired feeling. It doesn’t so much give you energy as keep you alert.

There’s no “hangover"‘ afterward, no drastic letdown, as there is with caffeine and other stimulants.

There is a small amount of caffeine in the drink, but it’s mostly B-vitamins, enzymes and amino acids. It has no sugar.

It comes in a little, tiny bottle you can stick in your pocket. It doesn’t taste good at all – I made my wife drink one and she nearly gagged, but there isn’t that much of it, so you can get it down quick.

Tim McDonald blogs about his travels to golf hotspots such as Florida, Myrtle Beach, Pinehurst, Hilton Head and the Gulf Coast (including his search for great barbecue joints along the way). He also follows Tiger Woods' path through PGA history.